China's top 10 oldest seniors average 120 years of age

10:09, October 19, 2010

According to the third session of "Top 10 Oldest Seniors" in China released in Dongxing City, Guangxi Province on Oct. 16 by the Geriatric Society of China, the oldest Yao senior, Luo Meizhen from Bama Yao Autonomous County in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, took first place at 125 years old.

Bama Yao Autonomous County in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region is a town known worldwide for the longevity of its residents. Up to 2009, there were 81 seniors aged 100 years or more in Bama County. According to the research of research institutions, such as Guangxi Medical University, in recent years, environmental factors including good air, water and soil quality contribute to longevity in the region. The optimistic outlook, good dietary habits and an agricultural lifestyle, which promotes exercise through labor, also contribute to the long lives of Bama residents.

The average age for the seniors listed in the third session of "Top 10 Oldest Seniors" in China is 119.9 years old. The listed seniors are distributed in five nationalities in six provinces.

Li Bengong, the president of the Geriatric Society of China, states that with the rapid economic and social development and increasing quality of life, the number of seniors with an aged 100 years and older in China has risen year by year. According to the investigated data, as of Aug. 1, 2010, there are 43,700 seniors aged 100 years or older still living and in good condition in the whole country (excluding China’s Hongkong, Macao and Taiwan districts), more than 3,300 seniors more than the total number last year with the increase rate of 8.2 percent.